The BPhone smart-net-tablet-phone

The BPhone is an interesting hybrid between tablet, smartphone, and netbook - but can it do any of those things well enough to be of interest?

If you're still undecided about which smartphone to buy, a trip to China might benefit you as a manufacturer has combined the worlds of the netbook and the smartphone - with interesting results.

As revealed over on Technabob, the BPhone is an interesting gadget which is equal parts tablet-style netbook and smartphone - and runs a variant of the Linux operating system.

Featuring a 5" 800x480 touchscreen - a massive size for a smartphone handset - at first the device appears to be nothing more than another bulky 'phone. That all changes, however, when you flip the screen around and reveal a QWERTY keyboard - turning the BPhone into a miniaturised netbook-cum-tablet.

With an ARM architecture Marvell PXA310 processor clocked at 624MHz, the Java-based user interface should run pretty well - and with Bluetooth, WiFi, and FM radio, and an in-built GPS module the rest of the specs aren't too shabby either. The handset is quad-band (850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, and 1900MHz) so in theory it's good to go on any GSM network world-wide - and is supplied unlocked and ready to accept the SIM card of your choosing.

The compact form factor - although not quite as miniaturised as the recently-released NanoNote - does come at a cost, of course: the keyboard appears cramped, and while it'll be fine for short e-mails or SMS use it could well be a pain for prolonged work.

The BPhone is thus far a China-exclusive, although is available for import at $569.99 (£383) plus delivery.

Do you think that this sort of hybrid device is the future of the smartphone, or are you struggling to see the point in a device which is too bulky to be a comfortable 'phone and too cramped to be a usable netbook? Share your thoughts over in the forums.

Yet anothet one of those things that looks good on paper, but in practice would be a pain, imo.

The laptop style keyboard is likely to be very difficult to use if you don't have anywhere to rest the device and if the screen is 5" then the device must be close to 7, as the bezel looks quite wide, making it bigger than most pockets.

It's a pity, because I've always loved the idea of devices which are many things, but in practice I find it rarely works.